Some people just have what it takes to be successful in business - charisma, for example, and drive, with a natural ability to bring out the best in others. Usually, these talented people also have a fiercely competitive nature, but some may not be too ready to admit that.
Shane Cumming sees no reason to be ashamed of a personality trait that has stood him in good stead over the years. He has an intense desire to win and a dogged determination to lose as little as possible, and he has used this to his full advantage.
He is regional director of Lawson Software, which sells software to the fashion industry in Asia-Pacific. As significant growth is anticipated within the next decade, it is now the most important region for this industry. Cumming faces stiff competition from three or four rivals on every deal.
'It is like a sport,' he said. 'You are always focused on winning. That is where the fun comes. That is what it is all about.'
But being so fixated on winning can have its disadvantages. 'The worst thing is that when you play games you lose the odd one, and that is painful,' said Cumming, who grew up in Canada and developed his keen sense of competition playing ice hockey from the age of five.
He likes to draw similarities between the sport he still loves and the business he runs. He said success in both came from being part of a team of people who understood that the collective was more important than the individual. 'A game is never won by one individual; it is always won by the team,' he said. 'If you organise yourselves well as a team, so that everybody has a role to play, you can sometimes beat an opponent that has some stronger individuals.'